I transferred, but from an American school to an Ontario school. My goal from the start was to do as well as possible and transfer. If I was stuck in the states, it would not be the end of the world, but I ultimately wanted to work in Canada. I made a few friends at my old school that I keep in touch with, but did not participate as much in ECs and clubs just because I was focusing on my grades. Arriving in Canada, I had to take two first year courses and the rest upper year. I've made new friends with mostly the other transfer students that were in the same boat as me. I wasn't able to participate in the 1L orientation because my upper year classes started already so I was disconnected from my 1L sections minus the other transfer students. I feel a bit disconnected with the upper year students, but that is mostly due to my personality and the fact that I'm older than the average 1L and 2L.
This year I also haven't been able to participate in ECs as much as I would have liked just because I have been focusing on my grades. I didn't receive any OCI interviews partially because I applied to only a handful of employers where I am most interested, and also because my US grades were the only law school grades I had available. I would like to have high Canadian grades to match my US ones for my articling applications this spring and summer and so far so good.
I know my situation is a little different because I am coming from an American school, but I don't regret my decision to transfer at all.

IP/Tech in law is a specialized area. Paralegals would not get any exposure to it in their education. If you were talking accident benefit claims or WSIB claims for example, then those specialized areas within the scope of a paralegal's practice could go either way because you can work in those areas as a paralegal or law clerk. The only difference would probably be the fact that you would be representing the client vs. behind the scenes doing legal office tasks.
Law clerks too would not get any exposure to IP in their education, but would have more exposure to the legal tasks that those specializations may entail. You having an IP/tech background may help you get an interview for a law clerk position at a firm that does IP since you would at least be familiar with the technical terms that your principles would be talking about. That being said, in the law clerk field, I found that it is more about your basic foundational knowledge of tasks, legal or otherwise (drafting pleadings, letter transcription, filling out court forms, using specific software like PC law, Teraview, Divorcemate things you would learn about in school) rather than your knowledge of terms in niche fields. You learn a ton on the job, so its about taking the skills you learned in school and then tailoring them to the specific field you are employed in.
Like I mentioned in the previous post, paralegals practice a very specific scope of law. Law clerks and legal assistants help lawyers do their jobs so for example in a firm that practices civil litigation, the law clerk will have to know how the rules of civil procedure work, and how to draft pleadings. They will also do a lot of the administrative tasks. Most clerks I know have learned all the facets of the legal area they are working in after being at their firm for a while.
For anyone else that may have questions, feel free to PM. I worked as a law clerk for a short time, then got my P1 license and worked as a paralegal before deciding to go to law school. I'm a current 2L.

1. Being a paralegal would not prevent your friend from being a law clerk. They would need a license to be a paralegal in Ontario, but if they complete the paralegal diploma and then didn't write the licensing exam, they could still work as a law clerk. Most postings for law clerk/legal assistant positions state either law clerk/paralegal diploma as their educational qualifications. As for holding a license and pursuing a law clerk job, it should not hinder your friend. They may get asked why, but other than that it wouldn't hurt them. Unless of course they have no experience working in a specific area of law. For example if they applied to a real estate firm for a clerical position with a paralegal diploma and license. Paralegals aren't usually exposed to real estate in their education.
That being said, there is a difference in the substantive law learned in both programs. Paralegal programs are mostly focused on legal fields within the scope of the paralegal practice (Provincial offences, summary criminal, small claims, boards and tribunals like the LTB etc.) whereas the law clerk program is focused on things like real estate, corporate, family, criminal, civ pro, estates, debtor/creditor etc...)
2. I can't answer the exam question because I wrote it back in 2009 and it was ethics based. It asked a lot of questions about trust accounts and such. I know that they overhauled it recently to include substantive law, and have made it more difficult. Maybe someone on the forum that has recently written it could comment on its difficulty.
3. Both programs give you a foundational intro course in Canadian law so there is no need to do prior reading.
Hope that helps!

I can only speak of the Humber diploma program and know nothing of how the degree program works.
When I was in it some 6 or 7 years ago, we had classes 5 days a week. depending on the class and credit worth I either had the same class twice a week or once a week for a bigger block of time. The classes are pretty much chosen for you all the way through. The only thing you get to choose is the 2 electives you do in semester 2 and 3. I had them in 3 and 4. As for the course content, they have changed quite a bit of it. It seems like you don't have to do a 300 level writing course anymore in semester 3, Intro to arts and sciences replaces the mandatory humanities course you have to take in first semester which is probably the same thing, they split evidence and advocacy into two separate courses, and they no longer teach immigration law for some reason.
My experience was pretty good. Took a while sometimes to get into the registrars office, if you want a transcript or to deal with your financial account. I know the parking lot has been expanded since I was there. Cost it good. I think they still run a frequent (every 10 minutes) shuttle service to a Queens plate parking lot right next to Woodbine mall. It used to be a bigger lot, but I think there is a bank there now. Its a little bit cheaper than parking right on campus.
I would try and speak with the academic coordinator of the program at the business school. They should be able to answer your questions. Also try to see if they can put you in touch with a more recent grad to speak about the scheduling and any of your concerns.
If there's anything else, you can PM
Good luck

I personally received a entrance scholarship based on merit alone. I did not attend a T-14 though. So I guess it depends on the school. Most will offer merit scholarships, while others will only offer need based financial aid. For the latter, you would need to be a US resident. Based what I saw on Northwestern's site, you have to submit a financial aid application for consideration of both merit and need based. It's best to call the school(s) yourself. You'll probably get better information from your calls then from this site. Also try top-law-schools.com. When I was applying, I remember there being a section for Canadians applying to American schools.

Has anyone received any PFOs or ITCs from firms that they applied to, but did not attend their OCI day? I'm waiting for 6. Is it common for non-OCI firms to just call on call day, or do they usually send out PFOs or ITCs?

It's good that you have narrowed down your choices and are only considering community colleges rather than career colleges. The difference between them has been discussed on the board ad nauseam, and everyone will have their own opinion and particular situation.
I think you might be going into this thought process a little backwards. You chose option 3 which was to become a paralegal with the option of going to law school in the future. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm actually glad that you rather try your hand at becoming a paralegal at a relatively lower cost than it would be to go to law school (money and time wise). At least you would know if the legal field is somewhere you want to be. If you really want to save money and time, volunteer at a paralegal or lawyer's office. See if you can shadow them. That would be the best way to see the day to day operation of a legal office and if you can commit to the field. I too am a Crim grad, and I think I only analyzed a case the way I have in law school once in undergrad, and it wasn't even for a crim course. I only mention it because you might not know what working in this field is like, and you only were exposed to a very particular field of law in your undergrad.
All that being said, don't pick Humber because you can transfer your credits to an applied degree program. You have an undergraduate degree. This is what law schools will look at if you ever decide to apply. Your diploma and work experience will be considered a soft factor. There is no point to wasting more money and time on the applied degree if it gets you the same thing as the diploma, which is the ability to write the licensing exam. Is there any degree vs diploma prestige that makes one better than the other? I haven't seen it in the field. If anything I have seen more diploma grad paralegals actually working as paralegals and the degree grad paralegals working in administrative or assistant roles. As long as you are licensed and competent you can practise within the allowable scope. A lot of people also find more stable administrative or clerical jobs that they just don't bother to write the licensing exam. I personally know colleagues from my year that have found jobs working as a court clerk or law clerk/legal assistant and are happy. It all depends what you want to do with your diploma/license.
Your choice of school in your situation should come down to where its easier to go to school. More or less it comes down to convenience. I can only speak for Humber's program because I am a grad, but I know all the programs you have mentioned have really developed good reputations over the last few years. I think some colleges are also competing in moots with each other and law schools.
If you have any question about Humber, you can PM me. I also believe Hopping Hopper is another paralegal on the board who also went to law school after being a paralegal. He is a Seneca grad and I'm sure he would be willing to answer your questions about that program. If you are looking at the other schools, see if they can put you in touch with their grads. This way you can make an informed decision.
Good luck to you

Take another offer if its available to you. They responded to my email a day after I already accepted the offer at Windsor. They said they couldn't say anything about my application because I had already accepted Windsor. They also mentioned that the class was full and if I did hear anything it would have been a rejection or waitlist offer. Not sure if this information would be different for traditional transfers as I was applying from an American school. I'm just glad to be back in Ontario at this point. Good luck!

Your buddy is wrong. The SAT is required only if your are applying for an undergraduate program. Some schools will waive it I think but I'm not 100% sure. For law school in the US, its pretty much the same as Canada. LSAT, undergrad GPA, have to complete undergrad (not like here where you can apply after 3 years of UG grades), personal statement and reference letters.
The question you should really be asking yourself is why you want to go to a US law school.